Skip Borsos sends in this ad from the 1955 Roseville Methodist Church booklet celebrating the church's 100th anniversary. Makes me yearn for the good ol' days. Thanks, Skip!
Bernie, you're right on about the fountain sodas at Holly's, the cherry-coke was the best I ever tasted. The vanilla and the vanilla-fudge ice cream at Gruning's also tops my list.
Does anyone know who Ray Rathje is or was? I graduated from BHS in 1950 with Ron Rathje who became a minister. Were they related?
Grunings ice cream was the best. Over the years I was patron of the Orange St store as well as the two S.Orange stores and the Plainfield store. Does anyone remember De Vito's Ice Cream Store on Orange St [or Main St at the city line] across from the PS Car Barns? They had homemade ice cream and candy just like Grunings but they never had the business that Grunings had. Location! Location!
I remember my mother taking me to an ice cream parlor across the street from Hopps on Orange Street when I was three or four years old. KELLY'S ? When I worked in Bloomfield my favorite places were Holstens on Broad Street and Applebees in Montclair. But as a child, I remember we loaded up the car for weekly Sunday drives that would always end up at O'Dowd's Dairy in Pine Brook.
Who says you can't go home again? 102 Fourth Street is for sale. "As is" the sign says.
We lived in EO near the Newark line. At various times we lived on 15th St., 16th St., Main St., and Eaton Place. DeVito's was our first choice. Nick DeVito and his two sisters owned and operated the shop when we went there. All three of them were rather quiet and grumpy looking, but their home-made ice cream and chocolates were to die for. Gruning's was the Sunday stop because we went to Roseville Methodist and it was nearest the the church. Not many of the Newark crowd ventured up to "our" end of Orange St and so they missed out on DeVito's, which was my first choice.
I frequented DeVito's store. I worked next store at the grocery and butcher shop, as well as Sal's Meat Market, across Orange Street next door to Wilner's Liquors @ the triangle of Orange and W. Market Streets.
DeVito's had the best sugared Ginger, which I bought for my grandfather, as well as schrumsish chocolates.
Ray was the manager at Grunings Newark store. I knew him well, having lived next door at 492 Orange Street. My step-father and mother operated Gerard Studios, a photography studio and we lived above in the second floor apartment. My brother Bill and I were responsible for janitorial services, including garbage disposal and cleaning the commonly shared, enclosed yard.
Grunings, i remember our nights out (ha) after practice or a parade with the Imperial Lancers. sometimes we just went "because".
i also want to tell you that my sister margaret found a great website for walking down memory lane. it is called billsretroworld.com. very very memorable. floodgates opened!
April 26th:= my sister's 57th birthday (and let the whole world know!). Happy B'day sis and many more to come. Sorry we can't be together on your special day but we'll see each other soon. Open a bottle of something special (and I don't mean Geritol) and go crazy for once instead of doing housework. Love ya.
![[linked image]](http://www.thecanteen.com/grunings.jpg)